CHEN ZHILING (JESUS COLLEGE, 2014 - 15)

During my four fulfilling years at CUPL, in addition to maintaining academic excellence in professional knowledge, I cherished various opportunities to participate in social practice activities which enabled me to have special insight and a clearer understanding of the legal environment in China. When handling pro bono cases at the CUPL Legal Clinic, we encountered many poor people who had little access to justice because the opposing parties usually used their influential friends among the judicial authorities to prevent our clients from complaining or appealing.

It is essential to establish an improved legal system and an impartial judiciary in China that can adjudicate free from any undue interference, achieving the vital social values such as justice, order and equality, treasured by the whole of humankind. During this course, legal professionals with a deep knowledge of both Chinese and Western legal workings are particularly in demand for aiding such a transformation.Here comes an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to immerse myself in the most fabulous legal education at Oxford. I understand that a stop at Oxford in this journey, to be studying in this world-renowned Magister Juris program, will be intense and demanding. But I am sure I am well prepared for these challenges. Being a member of the CUPL moot court team has greatly contributed to my confidence in arguing cases with efficiency and potency. The experiences of exchange programs have provided me with an insight of how the case-law system operates.Finally I would like to express my gratitude to David and Jayne Paterson Educational Trust for giving me this precious opportunity, which means a lot to me. When I got my acceptance letter from Oxford, I was really excited. But it wasn’t until I was given this financial support that I felt my dream could come true. It has always been my belief that scholarship programs like yours are greatly respected for the foresight in their objective to promote education as the best way to help the developing countries such as China. So I look forward to the day when I myself can also contribute to such a program, offering support to more Chinese students who have their own dreams and plans, so that they can carry the torch even further along in the future for the beneficial changes of China.Sincerely thank you once again, Mr. and Mrs. Paterson, for your generous and selfless support in the pursuit of my dream!